Remembering Rome: What became of the cancelled hit HBO show?

It’s been 5 years since the last showing of Rome and fans have been left in the dark ages ever since. Between 2008 and 2010 exciting rumors surfaced over a possible Rome film; yes film! But the fire of anticipation around those rumors have burnt down to mere embers as of late. What made Rome stand out was its sheer scale, its attention to detail in costuming and architecture that were all visible in its grandeur.

In fact, it’s rumored that the period sets spanned a whopping 5 acres and that would make it one of the largest period sets ever. The joint BBC/HBO production had an estimated budget of $100,000,000, though the result of that was a new, innovative historical epic the likes of which had not been seen since of Band Of Brothers (and more recently, Game of Thrones). Bruno Heller was just one of the executive producers at the helm of the series and also was the man behind the the great writing.

Rome showcases Roman society and culture, series one during and after the glorious reign of Julius Caesar (Ciarán Hinds now Mance Rayder in Game of Thrones season 3), and the life of the historical leader and his family, series two focusing upon the power struggle between the cynical and vulgar Mark Antony and the ambitious Octavian following the climatic end to series one. Cleverly, this parallels the story of Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson), two soldiers that over the course of the series take us through the rough ride of Roman civilization, also ironically finding themselves to be unknowing catalysts of historic events. Lucius’s and Titus’s hardship and friendship is known as being one of the most memorable ever seen in a television series.

Rome introduced a mixture of both new and fresh faces. Most notably, the experienced Ciarán Hinds, who before Rome had starred in Lara Croft Tomb Raider : The Cradle Of Life and The Phantom Of The Opera, and James Purefoy (Who plays Mark Antony), who before Rome was known by roles in A Knight’s Tale and Resident Evil.

The two focus characters played by Ray Stevenson and Kevin McKidd saw their careers flourish after their notable performances in the series, Stevenson moving on to recent big budget films such as Thor and The Three Musketeers, and McKidd providing the voice of Soap MacTavish in the popular video game series Call Of Duty, and also plays Dr. Owen Hunt in Grey’s Anatomy. As you may know, two actors from Rome will be playing two big roles in Game Of Thrones season 3. Ciarán Hinds will play Mance Rayder, the ex-Night’s Watchman leader of the Wildlings, a role that was interestingly suggested to fellow Rome actor James Purefoy by some fans. The other casting choice of note is the role of Edmure Tully, Catelyn Stark’s younger brother, who will be played by Tobias Menzies, who in Rome plays Marcus Brutus. These UK actors add to an already jam packed UK cast. It can be said, with Rome having similar scale and stylistic features to Game Of Thrones, that the pair are no strangers to playing historical archetypes and will surely ease into the roles effortlessly.

With its strong cast and increasing popularity, it was certainly a surprise when Rome wasn’t renewed for another season. Rome was initially meant to be a mini-series, but when more people got behind its creation and the quality of writing improved it turned into a full ongoing series. However, with its blockbuster size budget, Rome was scrutinized financially, causing HBO to announce that they wouldn’t be renewing Rome into its third season.

With recent shows making it past the season two threshold, is there room for optimism? Rumors suggested that Rome could have hit the big screen, a wise choice, as there is more chance for it to make its budget back, though I believe Rome was made for TV, and would be better off for it. I can’t imagine fans of Game Of Thrones or Boardwalk Empire would be to happy with their beloved series being squeezed into a two hour time frame.Unfortunately, this past year has seen little to no news about Rome hitting TV or film. With HBO comfortable with its resurgence of popularity of it’s shows as of late, can Rome be considered again in the near future? This is doubtful, with Game Of Thrones in full swing, HBO undoubtedly wouldn’t take the risk of investing $100 million into a show with the competition it faces at this time, even with Rome’s past and arguably present popularity.

For now, DVD and Blu-Ray versions of the show will have to suffice for fans, the brilliant hit show will never be forgotten, and may not have to be. There is still time, and you only have to look at Band Of Brothers and The Pacific to know that HBO haven’t been shy of rekindling similar styled big budget series in the past. Whether Rome comes back with the same characters or ventures into new territories, we still would give anything for a bit of news!

About The Author

CharlieB

I have no interest in watching Game of Thrones. Dragons? Please. Gratuitous violence and sex. Rome was a MASTERPIECE. The ensemble cast was pure magic. Sure, it took creative liberties but it went to drastic measures to be as authentic as possible. Had it been given more time, it would have fleshed out an epic 7-10 years of sprawling Roman Empire history that deserves proper homage. I’m still holding out for a return… Bruno? You listening?

Now that GoT is wrapping up and there already is an eager audience for it, WHY NOT?? A 2 hr. film is a nice idea, but I’d settle for at least 5 more seasons of this epic production. Thanks so much for responding! I’m on a quest to turn as many as I can on to this jewel. I can’t believe it took me this long to discover it. I only wish we could bring back some characters that’ve already been written out.

Historical inaccuracies aside, Rome was sheer perfection. The set design and lighting were as good as it gets, and Ciaran Hinds may have been the best Caesar to ever march on Rome. I would love to see it return in some form, but I doubt they could match that cast. Perhaps a prequel centered around Marius and Sulla. Or maybe Hannibal and the 2nd Punic War.
I agree, Rome ended far too soon. It left me saying ….
“Heller, give me back my series”!

The way I look at it, its perfect now for pre-casting and scripting. Got will finish this year, everyone will be hungry for a power struggle in depth with historical precepts after GoT. Im damned sure of it. Since most of the cast were already in GoT, it would such a waste to not bank into the feeling of a lost and a hole to the end of a good series of film making. There would be so much craving that Rome is simply the most obvious of answers. If x files can come back 10 years after silence, ROME be damned if this cant come back.

By next year pre production publicity can be done nudging slightly in GoT network near finale. About 2 years give or take and you’ve got ROME s03 2020

Just finished rome. Loved it and very sad that it’s over. More would be gr eat of course. Game of thrones is my favorite show but after watching rome this year I truly love it too. Would be awesome if they could bring it back.

I don’t think I’ve seen a series that evokes more emotion.. Ya Game of Thrones but if you read the books :D the tele series feels limp

I would love so very much for them to continue this.. Netflix or whatever; everything about this effing series :D the little Roman cultural touches… The psychologically trying moments jesus x christy :( i just finished a binge of it and I miss so much what it could have become. They could have spent less money and it would have been as good! THE ACTING?!?

at least it had 2 seasons and we got to experience it. I got the series on DVD for my aunt :) and tried to show it to a lot of ppl (it aint everyone’s cup of tea though)

It really wasn’t that good. Took me years to get past the first three episodes and only just jumped to Season 2 and completed watching it. Much too slow and way too much dramatic freedom. Acting was not great either.
Hope it never returns as was.

deadwood got similar treatment unfortunately. rome did not have anyone who could hold a candle next to ian mcshane playing al swearingen tho marc anthony and caesar were more compelling than 99.8% of character actors.

on the other hand, game of thrones has to be the worst budget to acting ratio ever imagined.

I am destroyed that HBO denied this cast of actors a third season or even a movie. What a fantastic cast, what a fantastic show, and the best period to make a series of with such rich history. I too am watching the show again on Amazon and must say it just guts me to know it will never come back. Idiots HBO, you let down a hell of a cast of actors. Nice to see Titus Polo make an appearance on Black Sails for Starz. Again, I can’t believe Spartacus survived as many seasons as it did vs Rome. Shame!!!

I’ve been watching these again over the last couple of days, and it’s really a shame it ended when it did. Although, I would really have missed Antony, who was such a lovable pig. While not perfect as far as accuracy it was light years ahead of anything else. If they ever did manage to bring it back I hope they would get Ian McNeice as the newsreader, he was fantastic.

Water was a scary proposition back then, with the common citizen having to deal with polluted stuff most of the time. Clean water was a luxury for those more well-to-do. Now is the use of water as an offering to guests factual? I have no idea. I know wine was a big thing back then, and there was a huge wine trade in the Roman Empire.

Yes, well when they discovered access to an underground spring they typically built a temple over it in honor of the Gods. Same is true of ammonia deposits, because it served as a disinfectant. The word “amen”, I believe comes from “Ammon”, which has to do with both a God and (ritual) cleansing, if I am not mistaken.

HBO doesn’t even have it available for on demand viewing any more. Like many great things, some HBO executive probably had it out for “Rome” bc it wasn’t his idea and once he got power he erased it from HBO, and it’ll be a cold day in he– before a season 3 is produced.

It must’ve only been gone a short period of time because it’s available on HBO Now (I’m watching it right now), and I remember seeing it in April when I first subscribed for this season of Game of Thrones.

I watch periodically the two Rome seasons on dvd and I find It superbe. I am Italian and I live in Milan.I find that the effort to reproduce the historical context was excellent and the cast acted in a superb manner. If I have to find a weak point, and it is not easy, to me some caracter looked too “english” but I do really hope that HBO will decide to go on and produce the remaining seasons.

Count me among the very many who absolutely loved “ROME “.To me it was by far the most entertaining and we’ll crafted t.v.show I have ever seen.I loved the superb actors,writers,production,and directing of every single minute of every show.I was amazed how truly great this series was.In every possible way.My vote would be for more of Rome on HBO, in the theaters,wherever!I also really enjoyed Deadwood.Don’t much care for game of thrones.Rome stands alone as best ever in my heart and mind.

“Rome” is available (both seasons) on Bluray in the UK and USA. However, the running-time listed on Amazon UK is 1192 minutes whereas that on Amazon USA is 1229 minutes. Are the two versions different? What (if anything) has been edited-out in the UK version?

I’ve just watched both series and I’m absolutely enthralled I couldn’t stop watching it. The scenery is fantastic and the characters right from the beginning were colourful, animated and realistic. In short I loved it, why is there no series 3, 4, 5 and so on.

Wow where was this gem hiding! I can’t believe there is only 2 seasons of this amazing series. I would definitely pay to have this come back. James Purefoy was pure genius in this role and the storyline kept me atuned to each character and wanting more. Even more if there is a movie. Bring back Rome

Greatest hbo series yet not a fan of game of thrones it’s fake ,period. And I can’t believe its still running ,bring back Rome pleaseee hbo has to know what’s good. Band of brothers another classic example of greatness using real history and I’m sure it was one very successful show. Bring back Rome!

Rome proved that television could be more than trash t.v. and reality shows.(is there a difference?)
It is a pity it was cancelled not for poor ratings but for the cost of the production.
A creative person might have put the series on a a la carte menu to pay extra for. I would have gladly paid extra and still would if it were brought back.

Just finished the series. OMG. i can’t believe I been missing out on this show. Email HBO CEO richard.plepler@hbo.com and beg him to revive the series. The more emails from fans, the better chance of it happening!!

My favourite show of all time! Truly a masterpiece of writing, acting and showcase! I own both seasons on first DVD and the Blu-ray. Watched them at least 5 times now.. It actually been about a year or so since so I’m going to watch again!. Just wish there was more! I’m not a Game of Thrones fan.. Kings and Dragons are just so far fetched for me. Take that money and bring back this incredible show! Just seems like every time I really like a show it gets cancelled! “Luck” was the last one I really like.. 9 episode before a horse or died, it was all over after that

I just finished Season One for the first time. I have tears on my cheeks as a reward. Rome is amazing, and I can’t wait to get started on Season Two. It saddens me to know there’s no more after that, with so much history untold by this lovingly crafted show.

I regret so much they did not show the rise of Octavian and fall of Antony in a more complex way. Octavian, despite he’s regarded as the greatest emperor, was in fact cunning murderous little psycho, precisely planning all his steps probably years ahead. What a great character to play! And unfortunately , it is thanks to his ancient “PR dept” that Antony is regarded as a crazy womanizer. And now, after the years, we clearly can see that the show is reaching the highest notes in rankings. Absolutely BEST SERIES EVER.

I regret so much they did not show the rise of Octavian and fall of Antony in a more complex way. Octavian, despite he’s regarded as the greatest emperor, was in fact cunning murderous little psycho, precisely planning all his steps probably years ahead. What a great character to play! And unfortunately , it is thanks to his ancient “PR dept” that Antony is regarded as a crazy womanizer. And now, after the years, we clearly can see that the show is reaching the highest notes in rankings. Absolutely BEST SERIES EVER.

I would love to see the series pick up right before Caligula’s 1,400 days of terror and then proceed to focus on that period. Then again it might not work as well as Ceasar and Augustus were both great mixes of good and evil characters. Still the Roman empire is filled with countless stories to tell, certainly wouldn’t be too hard to put together the metaplot portion of narrative.

Great series. I think it has been too long for a third season though, so I treasure the first two seasons. I’d love if HBO and other cable networks make more historical fiction like this. The Borgias would be another example of a well done historical drama even though it wasn’t quite as good as Rome. Rome was well written, well acted, had engaging characters, and was a pleasure to watch.

This is by far my favourite historical show. PLEASE, produce more seasons… There are so many historical facts to talk about that wold by nice to shoot: Augustus, Livia and Tiberius. The death of Marcelus and two nephews of Augustus poisoned by Livia to make his son emperor. PLEASE consider more mode episodes of this absolutely fascinating show.

Please, Please shoot more seasons! I began watching this ON DEMAND after the True Blood finale. Rome is expertly written giving much credence to the history and only deviating to bring us drama. I sort of knew where things would go but the writing is so Brilliant I was left shocked, ironically. Please consider more seasons!

I watch this page from time to time hoping for some good news. The reason is that exactly this 2014 year next month in August 19 we would be celebrating 2000 years after Octavian Augustus the death. There are excellent exhibitions and events sacrificed to celebrate this event throughout Italy and France. I was curious if may be BBC or HBO is going to “join” and to take the advantage of this fact. Especially that there are still plenty of movies tackling antique and mythological maters. By the way, there is also 2045 years exactly after the battle of Actium (September 31 BC). I am frankly puzzled what really made bosses to abandon such marvelous part of history full of intrigues, blood and real emotions, which is additionally not very well known and is the hell better than all the fantasy in GoT.
“Egiptian part” was reduced to something that I would just call “Octavian’s propaganda”. And the history proved that it was so much more than that to tell…. For example the real reasons of war between Octavian and MA which I suppose, would make another few episodes.
Few people know that Cleopatra made to kill her younger sister Arsinoe who was sent to an exile as a pristess in Ephesus. Some sources say, it was Anthony who killed her, but I suspect such allegations are simply Octavian’s propaganda, as the powerful person would not act as a usual murderer.
Just imagine poor Vorenus trapped again by history, who, for his real “redemption”, is forced to kill young Arsinoe that is proceeded by some intrigues led by Cleopatra. Killing someone in the temple of Artemis was a terrible sacrilege and was one of the reasons that people started hating Antony. The next real reason of making by Octavian war (and latter battle of Actium) was that Anthony’s eldest daughter by his former wife, was married to a friend of Pompeius Magnus, extremely wealthy Greek Pythodoros, and all that of course gave her father unexpected potential and let MA to approach Pompeius friends. Octavian feared the rising power of Anthony, especially that MA was very successful in his conquest of today Turkey, Armenia and Georgia. He removed for example the volumes form Pergamum library and brought them to Alexandria. Actually the “Cleopatra story” should probably take place more in Ephesus and other Turkish locations than in Egipt as well as more scenes with Brutus and Cassius who hid in Licia so that would provoke some additional costs but why not to drop a few bucks for graphic designers? And all THAT was not enough to keep the series on?????
If the history would be treated properly, the series could be even more complex than GoT and with hundreds of threads and characters. For example – this is my personal remark, but I think Attia character is based probably on the real Antony’s wife, Fulvia. She was engaged in fight for Antony’s rights against Octavian, and later as well as against Antony when he fled to Egypt and seem to be quite important figure. Actually the second serie was reduced to well known love story, but is was the hell more than that to tell. The conflict between Octavian and Antony is FASCINATING. The familial relations are like Bold and Beautifull or Dynasty in sandals.
The irony is that even if Octavian is one of the greatest emperors that ruled the world, the real dynasties were founded by Anthony’s daughters and son.
The Octavian’s only daughter Julia was promiscious and had an affair with Mark Anthony’s younger son. That probably drove Octavian mad, as they both were condemned to death and exile. Imagine another excellent scenes…..The eldest Antonia reigned in Cappadocia, her descents in Tracia (Romania) , Armenia, Crimea, his and Cleopatra descents reigned for years in what we call now Turey and Caucassus. Antonia Younger was the mother of Caesar Claudius. She was extremely intelligent and powerful, which is portrayed in R Graves’ novel. Both Antonias by family ties became the grand and great mothers of Nero, Messalina, Caligulla. That’s the history that is quite well documented.
Another part are customs, more usual life that has not been shown so far, approach to body and sport activities that is depicted well in mosaics, roman law that settled civilized rules and according to which we live to these days. All that was not interesting enough for first class show?
Sorry for this epopea. Just loving these times…. and the series.

So may be I will be able to watch it as well in my place:) I can’t help but thinking, that majority of actors still wait for their next chance, brilliant dialogues etc. Many of them became seriously popular thanks to Rome. Even if they naturally aged, and the new and old scenes would need some re mix, it would be great to see them again. The 2s covers around 15 years! The series like D Abbey, G’sAnatomy or Following won’t last forever.

The biggest mistake they made with Rome was switching actors for the role of Octavian in season two. It was jarring to have a central character be someone other than they had been. There was a disconnect. That and the fact that the Egyptians sounded exactly like “Romans” in costumes marred an otherwise incredible show. Season 1 is probably my favorite HBO season of any series. Ciaran Hinds is a revelation as Caesar. It was a home run in casting.

All that said I would love for them to come back to Rome at the point that the “new” Octavian was introduced and go back to the original actor being that he must be well into his 20s by now, if not his 30s. Would love to see Augustus Caesar build Giaus Julius Caesars Temple on top of the Curie.

I am happy to be not the only one to crave for the next seasons of Rome. But the prequel would suit me fine, as well. What a shame , the show that paved the way to all the historical tv and fantasy series that followed ( Tudors, GoT, the terrible movie Pompeii) was canceled. All this “human” capital- actors, screenwriters, directors, the costume designers, all of them made such a great job, to make us closer this part of history that was already pictured so many times. But never so good. I will always advise to watch the series to anyone willing to learn about the period. Despite the slight discrepancies, we have never had so far any series so precisely depicting these times. It was like watching M Scorsese films about NYork or Mel Gibson’s Passion. I cannot understand, why they –BBC and HBO made such senseless decision. I wonder do the thinking part of HBO clients is worth anything for them? If the want to produce the stories for under 12 years old, they should change the profile of the channel.

Just watched the two series in full. having caught episodes here and there on my travels. This is an excellent series, amazingly detailed sets and attention to detail and would be VERY much welcomed in a series 3/4!

I want the show back! Kevin and Ray deserved to become stars after the show and Cieran’s performance has made him forever “Caesar” when I see him in other roles.
And yes yes yes I know that I’m not supposed to do things like leave comments on message boards but just really miss the show and that amazing friendship.

Rome was cancelled and though I hated and still hate that its gone it was a clean cut. They didn’t leave you dangling with cliffhangers. Solid start, solid end. A very proper roman.

I’d love to see it return. There is plenty of material and it reigns supreme in all things Rome. Spartacus was fun enough if you could get over the faux Fatality style blood scenes and stick with the story but it pales.

If they insist on cancelling wonders of the world this show is a great example of how to do it. Jericho,Borgias, or anything sci-fi are wonderful examples of how to alienate and enrage your fans (customers!)

I have never cried when watching a television show, at I genuinely didn’t think that something as Shocking as Rome was could be the show to do it to me.

Alas, I loved the show, every minute of it. I have to compare it to the Likes of the Walking Dead and Boardwalk Empire, but it had more Depth then both of those shows (My Current Favorites).

When they showed Caesar Final moments in the Senate Hall, I knew what was coming, but even that knowledge could not prepare my heart for the pain and betrayal that flashed a crossed Ciarán Hinds

eyes as they stabbed him. I cried all the way to the end credits, and am still in suffrage just writing my thoughts and feelings here.
It breaks my heart even further to know that there may never be another Rome Season.
Shame on HBO, for taking on the project, only to tap-out two season into it…
It just go to show, that networks don’t care about what their Subscribers think…
And as an after thought, I don’t think the comparison can be made between Game of Thrones and Rome. Game of Thrones is “Okay” at best, but now we are going to have dragons and Zombies, please. Rome captured History, and made it interesting and shocking, with-out the Over-Used Dungeons and Dragons theme .
Rome = Vini Vidi Vici
And it Did

finishing this series again and again.. maybe this is the 4th time ım wathin..IT WAS WONDERFUL!.. and about ‘mini-series’ label, it was just a mistake.. even it was expensive, this production of ART should have taken for more times..

verenus is such an amazing representation of many men of that time. really a great show, shame it didn’t last. if they do GoT like they did rome and deadwood, and cancel it, I am going to seriously march to their gates and throw stuff

What a shame that HBO didn’t have the balls to green-light season 3…Everyone remembers how the Soprano fans were treated with “no respect” at the very end. look now at the crappy low end shows they have now(with the exception being Game of Thrones). Starz is a much better channel overall anyway. My advice: Dump HBO and TimeWarnerCable for Diect Tv! Rome was awesome just like the original Conan was. (John Milius Rules!)

best series ever…how can it be cancelled..???…..was really looking for to see the rise of Octavian and what would it become of his mother, and sister .Pullo etc…what a shame it was cancelled….what a superb cast that was, costumes, everything was excellent…really captivating…Ia m watching game of thrones now which is very good but not comparable with Rome, as Rome had history facts…And that i liked very much….

ROME was a truly fantastic show and one of the best shows to hit television. Real and true talent and acting. However, you are correct about the expense of the series. Unfortunately, it’s all about money in the arts today. Investors and bankers don’t want to invest in anything that they think won’t make the return they expect. With the expense of the first two, they probably thought they wouldn’t do as well trying to do a third.

Hope some day you (English speaker) will get from Santiago Posteguillo the traslation of Africanus el hijo del consul, its about Ecsipion-Hannibal, because ii’s just an incredible historic novel, and maybe some day hbo will take it!…

Rome was a rarity in television today. Smart, detailed in both script and sets it wad an oasis in a sea of dumbed down sitcoms and God help us reality shows. I hope HBO will be merciful and bring it back with the cast members whose characters weren’t killed off.
It was a stunning show and the blue ray edition is exquisite.

I too would like to see it brought back.. An excellent series indeed. If you have interest in the History of that period. There is an excellent BBC documentary entitled ‘Cleopatra Portrait Of A Killer’ That explores in more detail many of the events touched upon in the Egyptian elements of ‘Rome’ and features the same actor who played the part of the news reader in the TV show as an added bonus!

They are running Rome again on HBO this month- thank God. I absolutely loved this show- I never even bothered to DVR it- I made sure to be home on Sunday nights when it was on. Watch it again and be blown away by the sets, lighting, writing, and of course, the acting.

I visited a blockbuster store that was going out of business, went straight to the series and purchased both seasons. This series is absolutely stunning, Great acting, sets, dialog, History. And on top of all that great sex and violence, but all justified of course Tooo bad that the 3rd season was cancelled. What a shame. Bring it back, Its waiting.

You know I would have really liked a preseason kind of thing for Rome, showing how everyone got to where they are before season 1. But its been so long that all the actors wouldnt be able to play younger versions of their younger selves. . . or could they? Either way I need more of Rome, because I didnt get to enjoy the weekly sensation of a new episode, because I was to young! So please HBO find it in your hearts to bring it back! :.(

To be honest, After Octavian becomes Augustus, Rome is entered into Pax Romana, a period of relative peace, Lots does happen I know that, but HBO and the BBC would be better off bringing in someone like Peter O’Toole or others and focus on the end of Augustus’ reign and the succession to Tiberius and have some real fun with later Caesars, Tiberius’ grim passions, Gaius Caligula’s insanity and the underdog story of Claudius. Rome was about a period in history about the death of a republic and the birth of the Empire why not continue it with how the Caesars dealt with that immense power. That is drama!

The excitement of the story need not have died with the beginning of the reign of Augustus. Augustus had an extraordinary reign that could have played well. If you are interested, read the story of Livia Drusilla, his wife, who many people think poisoned August at his age of 75.

Rome was, is and will arguably always be the BEST historic period piece ever put on the small screen. Absolutely unforgettable, absolutely!! I have it on DVD and watch it now and again when the current fare gets BORING, as it frequently does. Too bad it couldn’t continue, but the excitement of the story really died with the beginning of the reign of Augustus.

I JUST ran across this series on netflex! Then right away purchased the series on DVD because I could not wait for the dvds to arrive one at a time!!! OH MAN!!! Come on HBO I have had the dvd for two weeks now and have watched it twice and will do so again real soon. Are you kidding? Cancelled??? PLEASE PLEASE consider bringing it back this is by far the BEST series I have EVER encountered!!! There are probably ALOT more like me out here who didn’t know the show was even out there. You can be sure I WILL subscribe to HBO if you bring my heros back!!

I really liked “ROME”! I have watched the series several times and never got tired of it. I also believe that “Game Of Thrones” found a home on HBO due in part to “ROME”. George RR Martin as well as the rest of the people involved in the making of “Game Of Thrones” have expressed their love for “ROME”. I don’t really see why people must put one show against aother.
But to say that “Game Of Thrones” is inferior to “ROME”?!?!?! Is everyone here suffering from some mental handicap? “Game Of Thrones” surpasses “ROME” in everything, casting, acting, script, production values, special effects etc. Plus the production itself dwarves “ROME”s scale and scope.
Frankly, I cannot see why as fans we cannot enjoy both shows! I know I do! “ROME” and “Game Of Thrones” are not mutually exclusive!

Salve from Germania!
I just wanted to say thanks to HBO for Rome as being the best TV series ever. Phantastic set, excellent story, and brilliant and great actors. I am one of so many fans around the world who love this series by heart. So come on HBO. Please do the TV-world a favor and continue the story of Rome!!!

This is the third time that I’ m watching Rome series and I am not the only one.
I understand what a series like this means, it’s not easy to produce a big show like this but a lot of people now love Rome more than once and they are waiting for another great show from HBO.
I come from Italy and no one here care about films or series about our history, this is already sad.
Let me know if you need an actor for next series people, I will do it for free!

Soon, Game of Thrones would end because as we all know, George R. R. Martin on release a single book every millennium and HBO had nearly exhausted every page of his book series. HBO would be left nothing but scraps and Rome would be revived again. I hope.

I’m a huge Game of Thrones fan, but Rome takes the cake. Truly, it must be the best TV show of all times. Brilliantly written, produced to perfection and the acting- superb! The characters are engaging and real, the sets are so realistic, you believe that this is what it truly looked like. The pace is relentless and the episodes always seem too short.

It has the potential of becoming a cult-like production.
HBO should consider re-investing.

I think some things are better left alone Rome is my favourite series ever but it was refreshing that it came to an end while it was at the top. It never actually tells us what happened to vorenus I like to think he pulled through!!

i am always interested in Rome history. Having read a lot of Rome historical novels i purchased HBO Rome Season one and two and watched all of them. i was looking forward to watching Season three for the long rein of Octavian. I was extremely disappointed to find out that HBO has not intended to continue the series. However, I will still keep my hope up.

Just now watched both seasons in the past week, it was pretty amazing. Those characters had great chemistry, and I only recently became an HBO subscriber due to the hype of GOT…. I have to say I enjoyed Rome much better… thus bringing me here was hoping to find info on a 3rd season had no idea it has been cancelled for 5 years…. I feel like that that was such a mistake on their part.

I’m wondering how HBO will spin off the rest of Game of Thrones considering the fourth novel installment sucks arse. Too many inconsequential characters that leads to nowhere. I LOVED Rome and still do. Its sad to see it end. I really do hope HBO/BBC can bring it back to the likes of its first season. Long live the Republic!!!

I think HBO is really blowing it. I loved Rome, Carnivale (Remember that award winning show?). Deadwood, etc. I think Peter Dinklage is my favorite actor on GoT. Everyone loves him. Why replace him with an actor who eats up 20% of the budget. I can’t stand to think of that character becoming “more comedic.” The dignity that Peter brings to that role, along with the humor, is why we love him so much. I read somewhere recently that HBO plans to do its new series with only a few seasons. So, in other words, they will be mini-series. We already have those on other channels. We don’t need them on HBO.

Just to add to my previous comment, even Hbo admits they shouldn’t have cancelled the show as they made their money back and much more in DVD and online sales. They had originally planned to do seven seasons which would have been brilliant!

I have just watched this series on DVD and am AWED !! I must agree that this is one of the most outstanding made-for-TV items I’ve ever seen. It ranks right up there with ‘I, CLAUDIUS’ created by BBC almost 20 years or more ago.

Such high quality should be encouraged. We are not all fans of the lowest type of TV that abounds today.

Would have be great to see Ceasar’s son come to some kind of power. Lucius Vorenus survived his wounds and progressed to some great General along with Pullo. The whole lot getting rid of the corrupt Roman senate and restoring it to some glory.

Rome was the best show on TV. I was so upset when it didn’t come back. Titus and Vorenus were amazing characters. Just watched the series again on DVD and its still amazing. Bring it back with the same actors. No one can replace Ray and Kevin.

dont worry folks. theres talks of doing the early life of ceaser. when he was coming up as a dominant senator. there going to use the actors from spartacus who played ceaser and cassius and pompei as the lead actors. people enjoyed ceaser and casssius and the whole spartacus ride so much that we want more. but the director of spartacus has another project about humans on aliens world at war. but realistic ones. not all the treky bullshit with just extended foreheads.so it is possible it might not get done but there is hope for another director to take the task of making it.

THIS IS THE MOST USELESS ARTICLE EVER. IF THERE IS NO NEWS TO REPORT WHAT IS THE POINT. YEAH LIKE ROME WAS THIS SHOW ABOUT ROME AND IT WAS LIKE REALLY GOOD AND STUFF BUT NOTHING HAS HAPPENED REGARDING NEW EPISODES OR MOVIES FOR 5 YEARS … F*CK YOU.

I just finished the series a couple moments ago. I have to say it was by far the best TV show about Rome I have ever seen. Yes it did change some things in history but it was outstanding entertainment. If it wasn’t for this series I would have never known Julius Caesar wrote anything about the Galic War let alone Titus Lucius ever existed. Speaking of which they were by far my favorite characters. It’s quite sad I won’t be seeing anymore of them.

I think a great idea would be a pre-quel. There would be a lot of excitement with Crassus, Sulla, and a young Pompeii and Ceasar, as well as seeing Lucius Vorenus (Kevin McKidd) and Titus Pullo (Ray Stevenson) growing up!!

I am not an avid TV watcher and came upon the Rome series towards the end of the series. At the time I did not know that the series was not to continue, and was delighted and fascinated by the complex plots, wonderful script, acting and close historical depiction. I was later dismayed to find out that the series was cancelled. Rome is the best series I have seen on TV and I bought the collection on DVD. I try not to watch it too often because for me it is a special event to see the shows and I do not want to wear out due to familiarity. I wish that the series shall one day be restarted, but there are probably not enough people who rise above the level of a reality TV show to care about an historical drama.

Rome is done with such good production quality and great actors. Its intelligent telivision. Please bring it back if I had a 100 million to spare I’d give it away just to see it produced. I have seen the series over a dozen times and never get tired of it.

Bring it back, bring it back, bring it back! Roman history is chock full of violence and intrigue so season 3 doesn’t have to be in the Augustus era, I would love to see the show go to the period of Christ or Emporer Hadrian. Oh how I miss this show. I was stunned when it was cancelled. Game of Thrones has got nothing on this…

If they brought it back, it would have to be bloody good. The fact they had to squeeze a lot of season three into season two, could possibly make picking up where they left off harder, there might be a few holes and gaps in the story. Although i did love this series, just finished watching both seasons on DVD for like the fourth time!

The best thing ever made in TV EVER. Shame it has been cancelled. Shame there is no plan to bring it back. I think it wouldn´t fit on the big screen, unless the entire concept be changed. Two or three hours is very little time to spread over a long historical period of time. Series is the ideal format for that (think about the tudors, another good series, but far from rome). Nonetheless, there is always hope, as the antiquity is more and more reverenced with time. There will always be interest for these shows. I believe (and hope) that rome will come back in the future, perhaps not with the main characters (Vorenus, who not died at the end, and Pullo), but continuing the August era, if lucky enough, played by the genius-boy (a man by now), that interpreted Octavian as a child. And following the marvelous saga Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero…It would be amazing, since the quality remains the same.

hubby and I watched the two seasons of Rome ,one episode a night and needless to say the BEST thing we have ever watched!!!!!!! very sad when it was over hoping the rumors of a movie are true_ we need more if Pullo and Vereneus(never saw a body:)

It was a pleasure to see this post as HBO Rome is still one of my favorite shows. Two seasons was definitely not enough. A movie would be great as long as the cast stayed the same. Sadly Vorenus died at the end of the series & his brotherhood with Pullo was a big highlight of the show. I will continue to support any future plans for a Rome revival. Loved Titus Pullo still my favorite!

I don’t think Vorenus is dead. They purposefully kept it open by not showing his actual death and the Co creator of the series said in an interview that he is still alive. I wish they would revive this series. Titus and Vorenus are my favourite characters!

Yes they had great chemistry, I enjoyed Rome MUCH more then game of thrones, much more! I actually only got HBO cause of they hype of game of thrones which was very disappointing (very little action, lots of drama) where Rome def gave a more even dose of both :-D a 3rd season of this would be much appreciated, loved itttttttttttt

The most clever mixture of history, speculation, culture, and fictional composition I have ever seen. A history lesson, wrapped in delicious story telling. A most compelling ending to the second season as well, reminding me of the series final in Sopranos…. “About your Father”….. Classic production

sir you are mistaken. game of thrones is now a piece of Americana. come on man i love rome but love game of thrones. game of thrones is amazing and so is rome. check out spartacus if you want some good roman tv. altho there was this really messed up roman movie called caligula. it was practically a porno

I’ve had hbo for years and must have been in a hole when the series originally aired. I recently started watching it on hbo go and love it. Season one has a great story line. I wish the would have continued this series. Script is way better that game of thrones or some of these other crap series on right now. Production blows sparticus out of the water.

I loved this series Rome. I feel it is as good as anything ever made for television, and is a top 5 show exemplifying the best reasons for the continued existence of tv. It further exemplifies the huge schism between the superior “cable channels”, like HBO, and everything else out there. As a result of product like this, I have happily given up broadcast tv, in favor of HBO, Showtime, and their contemporaries. I wish it had gone on for years.

My kids got me the best gift for my birthday this year: Seasons I & II of Rome. Not really being a huge fan of television, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how much I learned from it. It took me a little under a month to go through the entire series, and now I’m feeling a little bereft and missing it terribly. I would love to see a season III that dealt with what was going on in the Middle East, maybe including the birth of Christ. It certainly would be interesting and relevant considering all of the turmoil that part of the world considers to experience. In any event, can any of you Rome fans out there suggest another series that even comes close?

This is easily the best that television has ever offered in any arena. Fans everywhere still eagerly await the mention of the movie Bona Dea, and are wondering what else we can do to guarantee it’s production by Morning Light productions. .

Season 1 of “Rome” was epic, one of the best products of HBO ever. Then, to be fair, season 2 of “Rome” went downhill in quality tremendously so the cancellation I can understand. That being said, I would take Rome season 3 anytime over the despicable “GoT” or “True Blood.”

Plus, HBO not even recreating Rome’s fucking website since its removal when the HBO.com makeover happened is disrespectful to say the least.

The quality went downhill in S2 because they knew they were getting canned so they tried to shove as much story in as possible at the end, making it rushed. The quality going downhill was due to the cancellation, it was not why it was cancelled.

It was originally planned to be a mini series. ORIGINALLY. Then it turned into a full blown series. That was also in the article. Clear as day. The rising cost and the following criticism of said cost caused HBO to cancel the series. That was also clearly written in the article. Rome continued to be a ratings and critical hit, even as it was cancelled. You can easily Google that, because it wasn’t in the article, but it’s easy to find.

“I discovered halfway through writing the second season the show was going to end. The second was going to end with the death of Brutus. Third and fourth season would be set in Egypt. Fifth was going to be the rise of the messiah in Palestine.” – Bruno Heller

Whoah whoah. I agree Rome is awesome. And I disagree that season 2 was really bad. I think Octavian’s psychological progression and rise to power was awesome. But yea S1 is definitely better. However, Game of Thrones is awesome. But S3 sucks so far compared to 1 & 2. True Blood is a disgrace. Agree with you there. It’s become a gay pride parade with fangs quite honestly.

If your talking about game of Thrones season 1,2 and 3 I have to say all. 3 seasons where great even that they killed of some of the main characters but if you read the books the writer of the books kills a lot of his characters in it